


Book One: Birth - No Laurels To Rest On

by RaTheSunKing



Series: Avatar: On The Edge Of The World [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Canon Continuation, Earth Kingdom (Avatar), First Crush, Gen, Genderfluid Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:55:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27693764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaTheSunKing/pseuds/RaTheSunKing
Summary: An introduction to friends so that we might not outgrow them.
Series: Avatar: On The Edge Of The World [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2008255





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Starting the world build now, since this is a chaptered entry hopefully the next will come in by the next week or so, considering my abysmal writing habits. Feedback is greatly appreciated!

There were exactly 36 trees surrounding the clearing where Praha lay. The small wood was bubbled into the canyon wall, the only joining of it to the outside world a small cliff he’d learn to scale before he turned 4, and as such was the playground of the town's children since the canyon had been carved in the earth. His father told him the first time they'd come that there were once 37, and indeed there remained a great blackened stump where the Oak had once been, however it had been struck dead by lightning a half century ago and was hauled away by his own grandfather to be made into a simple bridge. Praha had thought it was sad that he’d never gotten to see it given its massive size, easily as wide as two men and a child sitting abreast. And then he was sad that the tree should have been cut down at all. And then he was sad that the tree was struck by lightning in the first place.

His father had seen him tying his mind in knots over what could have been and so knelt and said, “This tree now lays across the Bavo river three miles North of our home. Because of it, for 50 years the Yahmat’s, Jesvhat’s, and a dozen smaller families need not trek another 40 miles upriver to the next nearest bridge, and then another 20 downriver to get to town. Now the doctors in town need only run a dozen miles instead of 60. In those 50 years, three generations of our people have been born, and countless people have been saved from injury and illness.” as Praha looked up at him. He smiled and said, “we mourn that the tree is no longer here, but remember that that doesn't mean it is gone. It remains in the bridge, and the newborns, and the healthy, and all they bring.”

Praha had thought about that the entire day afterward, and every time he entered the little wood, he remembered the tree and the bridge. When he was 6, he’d been playing with Usnar and half-carried him back after a rush of cicadas and dragonflies swarmed Praha’s eyes and scared him into falling onto his brother, which in turn, caused the older boy to break two of his toes. On Praha’s 8th birthday he’d come to the wood and gotten into a fight with a boy a year younger and lost, walking away with a broken arm and finger. The pain had been so bad, and he was so ashamed of how he cried to his mother he swore he'd never fight again. After he’d turned 10, he brought Ontagh and Bishva there and when his sister Krima had found them and helped carry her back. The poor girl was so furious he’d shared the place with strangers she’d screamed so much she ran out of air and passed out flat on her face. And Praha still came to the wood all these years later, even in the dying spring of his 13th year.

On this day Praha sat with his knees drawn to his chin between two skinny birchwoods. He was staring at part of the clearing’s edge where the very edges of the leaves met open air.

“Wonder what it’d be like to run along them.” he thought and the next moment his mind had taken him there, leaping from one leaf to the next without the nearest thought of gravity. He was still there spinning on his hands between treetops when a voice cut through his next leap.

“Praha, UP” came the call from the cliffside.

Praha came out of his dream with a wince and gazed over at a young man walking in a neat line towards him. He was neither tall nor short for his age and wore his long hair up in a simple braid pinned to his crown. The boy was dressed in a tight jade shirt with sleeves that stopped partway down his lower arms and slacks so broad you’d confuse them for a skirt before you were a strides length from him.

Praha’s only response was a lopsided frown that incensed Ontagh further. “Get up!” he said as he dragged Praha to his feet. “Feet apart! Boar stance!”

Praha felt his feet kick apart into something resembling proper form. His legs crouching low, one in front of the other while his center of weight fell forward with his torso. He pulled his arms up in a front block just in time for Ontagh to throw a kick at his chest. Praha blocked it with a little effort which wasn’t good for him.

“So, you DO remember how to fight. Thank the ancestors I had thought that you had hit your head yesterday and were stricken dumb. Tell me have you somehow become allergic to making a fist? Has someone died in the last 15 hours since I've last seen you and caused you to be overcome in grief? Is it a holy day where all children are bid to worship the spirits who bully?!” Ontagh drawled in mock hysterics.

“Yes, yes very important holiday. My only son died this morning, how insensitive of you to bring it up. And excuse me, do you know where I am? I can't seem to remember my name.” Praha quipped out, dodging to the side and striding back the direction Ontagh came. Unfortunately, Ontagh's stride was longer and so Praha couldn't escape his friends' uncomfortable questions as the two of them half-slid down the rise.

“It's not even like she was bullying you and you ran. You two were going at it pretty decent, you even shoved her back before she threw a punch!?” Ontagh said incredulously. “I don’t care what you were fighting about, you can’t keep turning tail when you get called out. And if you say it was because of some dung idea of chivalry imma whack you upside the head. I raised you better than that.”

“I don’t need to get in a scrap right now, besides nothing good ever came from fighting”

“Plenty of good things come from fighting, for example the dozen people round Hofftra’s place wouldn't be laughing to themselves about how you couldn't take a punch.”

“Yes, thank you for that reminder. I will speak fondly of you at your funeral.”

Ontagh let out a laugh despite himself. “You’re welcome. I'll continue to remind you when you're doing three hours of drills tonight. In full dress armor no less!”

Praha’s shout of indignation reverberated on the canyon walls as the two of them walked through Old Samir’s wheat fields as they began the winding walk to Praha’s family farm for dinner.

\-----------

As they wound their way up the canyon, Ontagh looked back at his friend in the fading light. He was small, not merely short like many of his kinsmen and the villagers but lacked the stocky frame that would have kept him from looking as mousy as he did. He wore what were once crisp white breeches which were tracked with dirt and mud from the knees down. His shirt was a sleeveless grey but broad enough that when he kept his arms to his sides they hid the wiry muscle that was beginning to stretch through them, which didn't help him look any less of a pup in front of the kids he fought with. The sole bit of color that marked him as an Earth kingdom citizen was a bright green sash which doubled as a belt and flapped in the breeze as he walked. His face was an array of perfect features which he’d yet to grow into, fair brows above a pair of light green eyes, themselves set above a slender jaw completed by a complexion that made Ontagh and many of their friends who’d suffered the agony of blemishes and pockmarks jealous. One day he would look handsome, perhaps even beautiful, but for now his attitude betrayed his face which was consistently screwed to dramatically reflect his inner thoughts.

As such, he was a terrible liar made evident to Ontagh early on when on during their first sparring match when he let his left leg wide to be swept which allowed Ontagh to maneuver the younger boy into a lift over his shoulders. He’d flailed helplessly, but his face had gone pinker than cotton candy with a blush that showed embarrassment, and a bite that betrayed attraction.

Ontagh smiled to himself at the memory. His friend had nursed the crush ever since, as evident when the boy saw him put on makeup or wear his Kyoshi uniform. He couldn't bring himself to break his friend's heart, not when he always got a giggle out of Praha’s occasional jump whenever the boy got a flash of attraction. Besides he thought to himself, “Far be it from me to ruin his first love when he’ll soon have more depressing matters on his hands.” That made Ontagh’s typical frown return as he remembered who his friend truly was. A fact that Praha himself could only guess at.

\-----------

When Ontagh was 9 years old she was in her second year of training on Kyoshi island. She’d been more than proud when High Warrior Song had called her to meet with her guest. She was part of the first class of Kyoshi initiates which allowed boys. There had been men who had trained with the order before, but there had never been a Kyoshi warrior like her and the two of her peers. A boy who’d been permitted to train her entire life in order to serve and protect the innocent and uphold the honor and bravery of Avatar Kyoshi. She was called just before the day's training had broken for lunch and arrived in High Warrior Song’s room in full Kyoshi dress before bowing and saying, “How can I help you ma’am?” in a voice still full of childish innocence and a bit too much naivety.

High Warrior Song said to the elderly woman beside her, “This is daughter Ontagh my lady.” as all men who serve as Kyoshi warriors were to live as women whenever they trained or acted in defense of the weak. “Ontagh, this is Lady Wan Fa of the Order of the White Lotus.”

“I’ve been told that you show great promise child.” said Wan Fa, who looked so old Ontagh couldn't count the wrinkles on her face. He decided that it was probably a bad idea to try without making her mad, and then decided that it was probably a bad idea to focus on wrinkles in the first place in front of her master.

“She has demonstrated excellent form throughout his training, her skill is developing well, and she has shown impressive adaptability in her sparring sessions. What's more her memory has proven to be eidetic so far and she has begun copying the form she sees in her seniors.” said the High Warrior which made Ontagh squirm, she’d thought no one had seen her spy on the older girls training in the afternoon.

“That will help with what comes next.” said Lady Wan Fa who then turned to Ontagh “As will her desire to live up to her own legacy.” to which Ontagh gulped. “I’m afraid I have a difficult task for you girl. It will not be easy or simple. In fact, it may be a lifelong commitment, but if you do so you will serve the Kyoshi Warriors as only one other has before.” She said, and Ontagh could not suppress an audible gulp. “We must charge you to protect the Avatar young warrior. His identity has been kept from the world and he himself has no idea of his nature.” her eyes drooped, “Although with what is about to occur, he will inevitably guess at the truth soon enough. You must be his friend, protector, and his counsel. You must teach him skills which you do not yet know. And you must never let harm befall him or his anonymity.” Lady Wan Fa said, shooting her eyes up to lock straight onto Ontagh’s. “We ask you much, and we do so because there is no one else who can. You are one of the best of your grade, with a kind heart, and a commitment to duty that outshines your peers. And so, we ask you to do this for the good of the world.”

Ontagh had stopped breathing partway through Wan Fa’s orders. With difficulty she sat in silence for a moment, stunned both at her praise and the nature of what was being asked of her. She looked up at the High Warrior who nodded and said softly, “We know you can do this, and we will support you as you do.”

Ontagh then sat up a little straighter, trying not to let her fear show through as she said, “I would be honored my Lady.” because after all what else would she say, and then looked to Warrior Song. “My training?” she asked.

Warrior Song replied, “For the next three months you will be taught as many forms and lessons as we can give. You will learn to fight, to train, to move, to be silent, and to act with honor; and you will repeat these lessons every day and every night until you know them well enough to practice, and then you will practice until you realize that you will never stop practicing” Ontagh’s eyes widened, “I thought to point of practice was to get good enough that you didn't need it?”

“Then know this as your first lesson. We never stop training, we never stop practicing, and we never stop improving. Do you understand Ontagh?”

Ontagh did not understand but knew better than to say so, so she nodded her head and rose as they did.

Wan Fa smiled, “Today you live up to your ancestors.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visit from the daughters in our lives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooooooow I'm bad at meeting my own deadlines. Still, you'd have to pry my hands away from my keybooard to stop me from typing at this point. As always feedback is encouraged and appreciated!

Praha stepped past the small rice fields slatted against the outer edges of his family’s land. Spring was nearly over and with it would come the harvest in the next few weeks. Then Usnar and his little sister Amir would push the water and mud from the earth and everyone would wade in the deep plants to pull rice. The Corn and Wheat fields were easier. While they couldn’t afford the new tractor models Cabbage Corp was putting out they had a few pull grain harvesters that were easy enough to handle. Praha didn't mind it mostly. Sure, it meant he lost a sandal every now and then, but it was simple. Cut, move, repeat. No one stopped you from daydreaming about Mooselion cubs on roller skates when they’re knee deep in their own work. And Praha prided himself on never being so distracted that his tardiness was noticed. Besides, rice harvesting took up so much of the day that he got to miss the day’s lessons, which always took no less than 5 full hours.

Praha hopped the field's edge and grabbed Ontagh’s arm to pull him up, _his wrists were always so small_ , which broke the older boy’s own moment of daydream.

Praha’s mother and brother were both tending the earthen stove brought down from the house. His brother was stoking the fire as his mother started to rub spice into a pair of pighens for roasting in banana leaves.

“What’s all the fuss about?” Praha said as he approached them. “We eating outside for some reason?”

His mother turned and scowled, “Hurry up and help Amir bring down stuff from the fridge. Your aunt Yasuko is coming for dinner. You’ll still need time to make the table, but I want to add yogurt and curry to the meat while we have time.”

“Auntie’s coming?

His mother turned her head to look at him, “Yes dear hurry. I sent ‘Ghanni for you over an hour ago.” She said nodding at Ontagh who looked unabashed.

Praha made a mental grimace realizing Ontagh probably had given him time to cool after running off rather than pull him back to work. “Yes Ama.” he said starting for the stairs, Ontagh following to help.

“What’s Yasuko doing here? When’d she get in?

“She’s not in yet.” replied Ontagh. “We got a wire saying that she’d be coming in a few hours from Republic City.”

“Hmm.” Praha said, “So she'll be coming in with the night's drivers, huh.” which elicited only a hum of noncommittal agreement from Ontagh. Praha tried not to blame him. Aunt Yasuko’s comings and goings had always been a subject he’d never managed to get out of anyone. The closest he'd ever come to a complete answer was when his mother told him that their family’s business was private, and to keep it to himself or she’d box his ears. If Praha was being honest with himself though, he didn't mind too terribly. He always loved when Yasuko visited. She always brought pictures of where her business traveled, and for some reason he loved when she led him through the forms his family insisted, he do twice a day. Sometimes she even showed him new ones that seemed to be a different artform altogether. Some more aggressive and passionate, others with arching and sweeping stances. _Still though,_ he wondered, _she never comes this late without taking the Redeye._ Which let her blend in better with the morning and noon traffic before everyone had finished work that day and would peel off to linger in market tents and taverns. _Why now_?

As he was dwelling on the matter, the two children had managed their way to the cream and avocado colored refrigerator in the kitchen and back carrying pitchers of milk, yogurt and honey, as well as a bit of flour in case his mother wanted to bake anything. The two of them deposited their goods and rolled up their sleeves. Spirits know that it would be a long night.

\-------------

The last light in the sky had just managed to die by the time Yasuko strode up to their arrangement. _Wiping out Ontagh’s drill time in what Praha saw as a happy coincidence_. In her own fashion she always managed to arrive far too late for modesty, but early enough that no one dared to start eating without her. She was nearing fifty but never let a grey hair grow out of place. Her hair was done up in an amalgamation of a high bun and braids which were tied with simple grey ribbons. The rest of her appearance was always plainer _though Praha suspected this was on purpose,_ with her dressed in a drab green smock over linen pants and a sleeveless shirt which made her easily confused for a company fisher or hauler. They all knew better though. Twice she had given them yuans for Ontagh’s bedding and supplies before having at least half the value forced back in her hand by Suyu. Practical though she always was, she never seemed concerned with dropping a set of bills on the table for whatever they needed, so long as they were far from what she termed “prying eyes.” She had visited as long as Praha could remember. Twice a year at least, but more likely every holiday occasion, and so no one blinked twice at calling her Auntie Yasuko, to her chagrin.

“Yassa!” cried Priha, “Hurry and come sit, Amir won’t stop whining till she eats something.”

“Then by all means she should eat something.” replied Yasuko winking at Praha and the other children as she sat, “Whoever were you waiting for?” she said, smiling before she sat down started blowing raspberries into Amir’s cheeks.

Priha of course gave no indication she heard and quickly began ladling curry from a pot kept warm on the stove. Suyu passed around a cut of bread with melted cheese which Praha tore a piece off before passing it to Yasuko with a hug. “We missed you Auntie Yasuko.”

Yasuko returned the hug and then promptly flicked him on the nose, “Keep calling me Auntie and I’ll cut holes in your britches.” she said, giving him a wry look. “I am far too young to be an aunt yet; auntie is for old ladies who bring rotten kids candy and smell awful. Do I look like any of these things? No!” before she dug into her meal.

“Hmm yes Auntie, you don't look a day over sixty-six.” drawled Krima as she came round with the water pitcher.

“I am thirty-four last month and not a week older!”

“Thirty-four... forty-eight… what's the difference” came Krima with an iconic eye roll.

Yasuko’s rebuttal was an immediate grip and twist on Krima’s vest, careful to keep the water from spilling, until Praha’s sister contorted so completely that her face was stuffed entirely in the older woman’s armpit. “HMMMMMM. Smelly old lady is that right? Is that right Krima?!” if the girl had any reply it was lost in her muffled yell’s and flailing limbs.

In the end Suyu was the one who broke the stalemate, with an ear-piercing whistle that his children had learned was one of the most deadly weapons in the Earth Kingdom. “Fight later, eat now.” upon which Yasuko promptly spun Krima back on her feet and began eating in as innocently as possible. Krima sat down and began doing the same, but not before sticking her tongue out when her father wasn't looking. The rest of the table gave in to an occasional chuckle but otherwise went back to their meals. After all it wasn't unusual for the two of them to engage in the occasional mischief war.

Praha had to ask, “How long will you be staying with us Yasuko?”

His question was met with a smile, “I managed to sneak my mother into taking over things for the time being. No fish will miss me for a few weeks.” Praha must have radiated joy because by the time he whipped his head around to ask his father already had the words out. “Fine.” Came Suyu with a sigh barely audible over Ontagh’s giggles. “But don't you dare run off without eating first.”

After the pair of them had finished their meals _and_ _cleaned up the mess they’d made trying to gulp down their plates. Which earned another rare laugh from Ontagh who knew better than to tag along_ , Praha raced Yasuko to the canyon clearing. It wasn’t even close to a fair contest. Praha may have been quick to scrabble around fields and over cliffs, but Yasuko could never be matched. Even at forty-eight she could outpace an ostrich-horse and lift as much as a komodo-rhino. She pulled ahead quickly, and Praha found her in the clearing almost twenty minutes after she’d arrived.

“You're getting better!” she called, mirth in her voice. “A few more years and you might beat a lame platypus-bear.”

“You... are... so... funny...” Praha got out between panting breaths. He fell down flat on his face in the sparse grass. “I… guess… age… brings… humor.. with.. wisdom.” he spat out before he was so tired even his tongue wouldn't stick in his mouth and just lolled out into the sandy earth. He didn't mind so terribly. After all, there were worse things to taste in the world.

“Hah,” said Yasuko. “More elderly jokes? I had thought you were bright enough to think of something better. I guess we won't end up learning anything new here today after all”

“Don’t.. tease.. It’s.. rude..” Praha said, finally managing to pull enough strength in his limbs to flip over. He knew it was an empty threat. Yasuko loved to train, loved anything athletic, in fact. So much so that Praha couldn’t help but love to too, though he’d loath to admit it. Exercise was never as fun as finding something interesting to dream about, and Yasuko always managed to make working through a form or muscle even more vivid than whatever he could imagine. He finally managed to catch enough of his breath to stand, finding a grinning teacher as his reward.

“Come on, Earthbending first. Squat wide.”

“Nooooooooooooooope.”

“Praha-”

“Nooope”

“Praha-!”

“Nope. It wasn’t gonna happen when I wasn’t tired, it definitely isn't gonna happen now”

“That’s an excuse. Be reasonable!”

“It absolutely is, and I absolutely will not.”

Yasuko gaze leveled at him for a moment. She knew just how stubborn he was about bending for some reason and she hated it. He had been an excellent bender when he was a child, he used to love playing with stones and hitting targets to prove he could in his free time. He could lift earth, carve rock, and even slide across the ground with ease up until he turned nine when he suddenly refused to practice again. Neither she, nor his parents, could make him even move a pebble and hadn't been able to for the past four years. Not even when Usnar, always the type to use fewer words than actions, dangled him upside-down from the barn roof for three hours before anyone noticed. After that incident, Usnar said that if he wouldn’t after that, then he probably had some reason not to. After that, the family considered the matter closed for the time being, and spirits know Yasuko couldn’t think of a way to reopen it without also bringing up a number of things the young boy wasn't supposed to know about. So closed it remained.

She studied him for a moment, tried to think of something, and gave up. “Huooooh,” she grumbled. “We’ll try something else then.” Which brought the boy’s attention back to her. “Follow along with this then.” she said, and began a slow rolling stretched that began from her shoulder to her knuckles. As the boy followed suit, she began to move her stance and torso with the roll of her hips as she pulled up an invisible weight and shifted it around her. She than swept herself over her hip and stepped forward, bringing the weight with her and up in front of her solar plexus. She watched Praha do the same, screwing up his face in concentration as he mimic’d her movements and settled his posture. The two of them continued like that for a few more phases, before Yasuko brought him to a stop. “Problem? She asked.

“No.” said Praha, though he sounded uncertain. “I just don’t get the flow of it like you seem to.”

They tried again, Yasuko this time stepping out to correct his stretch and arms. Though Praha still seemed to wobble on his feet. They tried again before Yasuko said, “That’s enough.” and the two of them broke their stance to sit. “I think I see your trouble; you keep stumbling on the pace of your movements. Before we try again tomorrow, try and think about the roll of your center and how to move in a continuous shift. Right now, you either have too much or too little patience and I can tell you right now timing is something best done on your own. She grinned sheepishly, and said in a mock whisper, “I was never one for patience myself.” Which gave Praha a smile himself.

That was the thing about practicing with Yasuko, she always made him feel like it wasn’t only something to repeat, but rather something to think about and refine in his head, which suited him just fine.

“Hop up.” she said, “We're gonna try something different.” Meeting his returning grin with her own. “This time try for efficiency and speed, without running out of breath.” Placing her hands together palms down. “You’ll need to maintain your stamina and your breath in each move, so fill and empty your lungs in good measure.” she said, pulling her right hand in a fist behind her ear as he did. She kicked her leg out and fell into a higher stance before stepping forward into a punch, then a high kick, then an underhanded jab with her open hand.

Praha did the same, much less wobbly then last time pulling off the movement, not with expertise per say, but surely with a trained eye for detail. Matching Yasuko up until he added a second kick before his last jab.

Yasuko gave a small laugh and came up beside him. “Improvisation is good, but you still forget to exhale.” Poking at his stomach till he fell over. “This movement is more than something to copy, it's something to learn from. We breathe when we move because we die without air in our lungs.” Staring in his eyes which she thought were starting to understand. “At its core, that's what this is, what all movement is. We move and breathe. Now try again.”

Praha picked himself up and brought himself back to that first position with his palms down. _Move and breathe_ , “Not two things at once.” he thought. “Just one thing we do forever.” for some reason that thought grounded him and he took a deep breath in from his nose. And then he exhaled and stepped into the same form as before.

Fist up, leg out, rest in high stance, move again, step and punch, now kick once, then jab underhand, then pivot, block with both hands, slide into an upper kick, push up into a block.

He was enjoying himself and how he was beginning to move. Without noticing it he had finished Yasuko’s form and started another.

Low block, cross, double high kick, jump and kick with back leg, torso twist down, chop up, now hop into a low squat, punch, and another underhand jab-

Praha fell, quite suddenly, on his butt. In front of him a _blaze_ which had engulfed two trees and was spreading to two more. Yasuko was behind him in an instant.

“Breathe! Praha, Breathe!” She had trapped him in a bear hug and was yelling above the roar of the flames. With one arm she held both of his to his sides, while with her other she was coaxing her fingers through his hair trying to calm him down. Strange, Praha hadn't realized he was shaking.

“Breathe with me Praha! In and out, slower and slower!” she yelled, Praha tried his hardest but couldn’t for some reason. Oh.

Praha spun as much as he could to the side and retched into the dirt. Spewing up his dinner and quite possibly some of his lunch. Still he tried his best to breathe in time with Yasuko. In and out, slower and slower. Though to be honest it was a pitiful effort when his windpipe was clogged with vomit and his knees soaked in more. Still when he finally managed to get a hold of himself, he looked up and saw the fire had died, leaving burnt scars across the clearing. It wasn't even a neat wound, rather it had looked like some giant had cut a slice of cake the wrong way round, so that there was a giant wedge stemming out from the treeline’s edge and widening into a cone around the blackened wood stump that lay in the center.

Yasuko was still stroking his hair when he turned back to her, tears in his eyes. “Oh Praha, it's okay, it's okay. Come up now.” And pulled him to his feet, doing her best to wipe the sick off his clothes.

Praha felt himself say dumbly, “Sorry... I got you dirty.” and felt Yasuko shush it away and comfort him that it was nothing to worry about as she steered him toward the cliffside exit. And as they left Praha couldn’t help but notice three different things.

Firstly, that Yasuko hadn’t stopped him when he’d started to pull off of her initial form, and now was wearing a look that etched concern in her brows and worry in her eyes.

Secondly, there were now only 32 trees left in the clearing where the village children played and had played in for generations.

And finally, that at the absolute last moment before he fell, a torrent of hideous flame had leapt from his fingertips.


End file.
